Going into a film with a self-indulgent title like this, I was extremely wary and thought I knew all too well what to expect. Boy was I wrong. Also, going in I had seen THE OMEGA MAN with Charleston Hesston and really liked that film, so a remake scared me ever so. As I mentioned before, I am just naturally drawn to types of films that follow someone/some people on a road trip, or people’s day-in-the-life during very rare circumstances. Films like Steven Soderbergh’s BUBBLE and THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, INTO THE WILD (see earlier review), or FIGHT CLUB – coming of age/fish out of water stories. I love those types of films where the audience is immersed in this new and wonderfully different environment.
The premise of this film is so simple. Will Smith is supposedly the last man on earth after some nuclear disease was released and caused worldwide destruction, death, whatever – we’re not exactly sure what caused everything, but that’s fine. We don’t need it. Will has his daily routines which are interesting and fun to watch him execute (movie store, working out, deer hunting in a Mustang GT500 J). His goal is twofold: 1. To see if there are any other ‘human’ survivors and 2. To cure mankind by capturing the ‘infected people’ and running test on them to see if he can create a cure. Yes, there are infected zombielike creatures that are running around trying to kill Will that must stay out of the sunlight.
For me, (which I suppose I say a lot I am noticing) the moments where this film truly shines is during the first act. I was reminded on WALL-E, where we just sit as a fall on the wall and observe the everyday activities of someone who is obviously more interesting than us. And that first initial shot from WALL-E was taken directly from THE OMEGA MAN!!!
I want to talk about the dog for a second. Probably the second main character in this film, and actually a surprising interesting plot device. He forces Will to abandon his protocols and enter an inhabited building during the daytime to look for him, he gets injured and makes Will make a gut wrenching decision (one of the most intense scenes in the film), and he’s Will’s co-pilot and only friend. Without the dog the story would’ve definitely felt more stone-like – props to the writers. That’s two major improvements over the original – 1. The dog sidekick and 2. The CG zombies. The guys in white face paint were not doing it for me.
The storyline and character(s) is captivating and enthralling, the CG is remarkable, and the attention to detail in the desolate NYC is breathtaking. You jump in with both feet and love every second of it. The cutbacks to pre-destruction became a little tedious for me and they semi-removed me from the present world I was in, but I understand why they did it and why it worked. We were to dream like Will did and start to become more fluent with his life experiences up-to-date. A few squeamish moments and the alternate ending is something to watch afterwards. I like the theatrical ending, but enjoyed the different take on how it could’ve ended – although it never would’ve worked. Definitely a smart, summer, popcorn flick.
Rating: 8.75/10
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